Author: Fabs G.
Rating: PG
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL
Author's note: Of course I'm going to finish this! Something his fun to write simply HAS to be uploaded!
One thing: FF.net kinda screwed the sizing of the font. Sometimes its 10, sometimes it's 8. That's not my fault, but yet- sorry!
One last thing: try as I might, I cannot make Peter as likeable as the other boys (three guesses why) so while I didn't make him a complete inept, he also won't be getting the 'Smartest Wizard Of The Year' award.
Here's chapter 2, 5 to go. Have fun, R/R!
CHAPTER 2
During the next days the 'Enemy', as the mysterious prankster had been subsequently dubbed by Sirius, did not show signs that the incident with Mrs. Norris had been just a one-time lucky-strike event.
During lunch on Monday, all the Slytherin goblets spilled their contents into their owner's faces, drenching with water, pumpkin juice and all sorts of liquids every single Slytherin in the school had been drinking. The three other houses laughed themselves silly, and even the ghosts and Dumbledore had a suspicious mirth in the air about them. Again, none of the Marauders had done it, and they had alibis for it.
On Tuesday afternoon the third Quidditch match of the season took place (Ravenclaws vs. Slytherins), and all students went to the Quidditch pitch to find a sight they would treasure for the rest of their days. While the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw banners where in perfectly good condition and not touched at all, a look at the Slytherin stands was enough to know that theirs were not.
At first, no one understood why the silver had been replaced with pink and the green with turquoise of all colours, but as Sirius wisely pointed out, with those colors "no house can be blamed". The Slytherins were so off-put by the shame of the pink and turquoise that they were absolutely destroyed by the Ravenclaws, much to the joy of the Gryffindors.
And again, there was no way the marauders could have done it. Once again and for the third time in their lives, Sirius and James were innocent.
On Wednesday The Enemy managed to put a spell on Peeves- and the fact that this had never happened before was barely less amazing than the fact that Peeves did not see who had turned all his clothing solid black (which he found dreadfully boring) and have covered his face with very reddish freckles and his head with a platinum blonde, curly-hired wig. Peeves found it indignant that the teachers did not pursue the 'criminal' as he called it, but all teachers were far too busy laughing to care about handling detentions to someone they didn't know. Filch was, of course, having the time of his life looking at Peeves. He looked almost as happy as he did when he caught a student out of bed after curfew.
It was this simple but admiration-worthy spell that made Sirius's and James's blood boil.
The Enemy had not only done pranks that Sirius and James had done before, or similar at least, and reached their level of admiration or fear from the other students, 'The bloody Enemy', as Sirius now called him, had managed to surpass them. The whole school seemed to have forgotten about Sirius and James and were talking about The Enemy day and night (dubbing him the name Sirius called him permanently).
For three years they had tried to hex or curse or charm Peeves and get hailed as school masters for the rest of their days, but every try failed- much to their annoyance (and, very secretly, Filch's too).
"I am going to strangle him" growled Sirius, one late night (or early morning, depending on the person's metabolism) when the four of them where alone in the common room, studying as it was customary as of late, everything they could get their hands on about animagi.
Peter had long since fallen asleep over a book, drooling on the table by the fireplace. James and Sirius were sprawled besides each other, on one of the sofas in front of the fire, Remus sitting on the floor between them.
Remus really was not studying for animagi -for obvious reasons- but he felt better about the situation when he accompanied them.
Remus turned round and squinted at him. "You've been growling a lot lately" he said.
"How can I not, with that bloody menace walking around?!"
"No, I mean- have you given any thought to the possibility that your animagus form might be something canine. You are a dog person after all"
This thought enlightened Sirius's face as not many things had the past few days "How smashing would that be!" he positively glowed "You think a wolf?"
Remus's eyes turned a little darker "I hope not- it'd be too weird. Still, I can't say it wouldn't be interesting"
"I've been thinking the same, you know?" said James conversationally "What do you think I might be?"
"A bespectacled Quidditch-obsessed dork" deadpanned Sirius, eyes not leaving the book. James threw a cushion at him- Sirius ducked and the cushion hit Peter, who never even stirred. The three friends chuckled at this.
Remus stared at James for a long while (while James posed for him as if Remus was taking his headshot) "I don't know what species you might become, James" he said honestly "but it will definitely be something loyal" he ended with a smile.
James smiled back and threw him a cushion too, but with a more playful reason that Sirius's had been.
"I will bloody strangle him" said Sirius again, steering back the conversation to where he wanted it.
"And how, pray tell, will you do so when you don't know who he is?" said Remus with an eyebrow raised.
"I'll know sooner or later," he growled again "Nobody, hear me, nobody steals our bloody monopoly over pranks. I'll make his life hell when I know who he is."
Remus didn't answer, and only swallowed very uncomfortably. Hearing the tone of Sirius's voice, anyone would have.
"You're right" said James, siding with his friend. "I'll find out who he is before Christmas holidays, I swear. This means war"
"Well, good luck to you both" said Remus, standing up for bedtime. "If he's a Slytherin, I'll wish you even more luck than this. If he's a Hufflepuff… were, that would surprise me. If he's a Ravenclaw, you'll probably be at war with a brain on legs."
"What's if he's a Gryffindor?" mumbled Peter from his spot (though no one was quite sure he was awake) and started making his way to the stairs.
Remus thought for a moment, Sirius and James's eyes fixed on him- he was, after all, the voice of reason of the group. He smiled "If he's a Gryffindor, I gather you'll be in for some good fun. Goodnight" He went upstairs, an arm round Peter's shoulders, who looked like he could tumble down the stairs at any second.
James and Sirius looked at each other and, a second later, broke into identical mischievous grins.
A week later, the Great Hall, the teachers, and the students were yet again witnesses to what happened when you challenged the marauders. The students, as every morning, entered the Great Hall drowsily, remembering with heartfelt nostalgia the warm cocoon of their beds they had just left, expecting with hunger the great food, and dreading with sincere fear the classes.
In the state they arrived, only the early birds noticed anything at all, and it was one early riser fifth year Hufflepuff that first noticed anything odd about the ceiling, even after a hundred students had poured in.
"I say, look!" he said, pointing at the enchanted ceiling.
Several heads, including the ones of the only two teachers that had arrived, turned skyward towards the enchanted ceiling (which today showed gloomy and dark storm clouds). Floating quite like Mrs. Norris had floated up there over a week ago, were golden letters with a red outline, spinning slowly for everybody to see, quite like a muggle fan would have done.
Mysterious Prankster(s?), a.k.a. The Enemy (for us, anyway),
You have dared to challenge the Great Ones of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You have no right to step out of the shadows and think you have the right to do the noble acts we have been performing for the past three years.
Stop now and you will be spared.
Continue and you will suffer the consequences of messing with The Marauders.
Without best wishes,
S, J, R & P
The invitation to continue to prank couldn't have been more open.
Everybody knew at once that, should 'The Enemy' accept the not-so-subtly hidden challenge of 'S, J, R & P' the whole school, no matter the house, would be in for some good time fun. The buzz of voices that followed the silence during which everybody read the message was nearly deafening. Everybody started discussing whether The Enemy would accept the challenge, what would Potter & Black do (for it was obvious it had been them), and millions of other things that would keep them from paying attention in class for the following week.
Dumbledore looked at the message and merely grinned, though his eyes revealed much more of the mirth these little –hopefully harmless- school challenges brought him. McGonagall though, was not feeling any of his mirth. Her lips where quite thin after she read the message, and kept like this for the rest of the day. She'd deal with them eventually
When the marauders arrived at the Great Hall, the only of the four that were surprised to see the message were, of course, Remus and Peter. Though Sirius and James always included them in all of the 'noble acts of prankdom' they performed, Remus and Peter rarely dared to go out in the dead of the night, hex or charm something or someone and dare the wrath of Filch.
Sirius and James put and arm around Remus and Peter respectively.
"Want to have some fun?" they said to their friends. "You just wait- the bastard will have to answer that message, and then the fun starts"
Remus read the message and could hardly keep himself from smirking as openly and widely as he wanted. The fish was in the net.
The next morning, the answer of 'The Enemy' (written in a neutral, house-free white) were four simple words:
Let The Fun Start.
To Be Continued…..